Delayed pruning of grapevines: A tool to manage the effects of climate change on fruit quality and harvest compression webinar

Date/Time
Date(s) - 21 Nov 2013 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Location

Your office.

Presenter

Paul Petrie

Description

Between 1993 and 2013, maturity of grapevines in Australia advanced 0.5 to 3 days per year across a range of regions. Associated with the advancement in maturity there has also been a compression of vintage, with different varieties ripening at the same time. Delayed pruning offers the potential to shift phenology back into a more familiar time frame and spread the harvest period to allow better utilisation of equipment. In the Barossa Valley the maturation of Shiraz was successfully delayed by three weeks in field trials during the 2012 vintage. Vine growth and berry weights were also reduced which may improve fruit quality. Delayed pruning offers a tool for the Australian wine industry to counteract some aspects of climate change.